DENVER — At this year’s IEEE T&D Conference (Booth #1242), Siemens announced a strengthened digital T&D portfolio across key areas including substations, transformer maintenance and grid planning. Leveraging Siemens’ global focus on the growth of the Internet of Things in industry and infrastructure, the company is incorporating digitally-driven solutions into its grid-facing businesses including digital substations that can operate more economically, advanced transformer diagnostics that predict and fix issues before they become a problem, and the development of a “digital twin” for more reliable grid planning and operation.

Siemens has developed new technologies that allow substation equipment to digitally transmit data on current and voltage within the substation versus connecting to a power relay located in a central building via wiring. This digital approach removes the need for expensive and bulky copper cables, resulting in smaller substation footprints with lower costs.

In addition, Siemens is introducing an online transformer diagnostic and condition monitoring system, SITRAM TDCM, to provide reliable early fault diagnostics. Often, power transformers are in operation past their originally designed lifecycle and, as a result, can experience harmful faults that affect power delivery on the grid. With Siemens’ diagnostic and monitoring platform, failures and costly outages can be identified and avoided before they happen.

Siemens has also expanded the concept of the digital twin—a virtual copy of a real machine or system—for better grid planning and operations. Using software, grid operators can virtually analyze and plan supply and demand needs across a complex electrical system. Using virtual tools, a grid operator can reduce the amount of effort collecting and verifying data, improve investment planning based on accurate forecasts, better integrate conventional and renewable power through accurate modeling, and improve overall grid reliability.

“We’re constantly keeping an eye to the future by introducing technologies that will change the way we plan, manage and maintain our critical grid resources,” said Nicolas Sanloup, Siemens Vice President of Transmission Solutions. “By embracing digital solutions, utilities and grid operators can not only strengthen their resiliency and reliability efforts, but also improve their bottom line.”

Siemens Corporation is a U.S. subsidiary of Siemens AG, a global powerhouse focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization. One of the world’s largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, Siemens is a leading supplier of systems for power generation and transmission as well as medical diagnosis. With approximately 372,000 employees in 190 countries, Siemens reported worldwide revenue of $92.0 billion in fiscal 2017. Siemens in the USA reported revenue of $23.3 billion, including $5.0 billion in exports, and employs approximately 50,000 people throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico.

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